Apparatus for recording the duration of sounds and intervals of silence



F. E. MOSLEY. APPARATUS FOR RECORDING THE DURATION OF SOUNDS AND INTERVALS OF SILENCE.

APPLICATION FILED N0 \l.29 I920.

Patented Jan. 31,1922,

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

F. E. MOSLEY NG THE DURATION OF SOUNDS AND INTERVALS 0F SILENCE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 29, 1920.

1,405,060. Patented Jan. 31, 1922.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

APPARATUS FOR RECORD] F. E. MOSLEY. APPARATUS FOR necoanme THE DURATION OF souuos AND INTERVALS 0F SILENCE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 29,1920- 2 93 1H 11 m v 34 W mm 02 hm W q S M t I m u m 0 m M I 2m l O 4 J 4, 6 w 0. 2 0 7 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK ERNEST MOSLEY, OF SHETTLESTON, GLASGOW, SCOTLAND.

APPARATUS FOR RECORDING THE DURATION OF SOUNDS AND INTERVALS OF SILENCE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 31, 1922.

Application filed November 29, 1920. Serial No. 427,133.

To all whom it may concern:

, Be it known that I, FRANK Emvns'r Mos- LnY, a subject of the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and residing at Shettleston, Glasgow, Scotland, have invented a certain new and useful Imrovement in Apparatus for Recording the uration of Sounds and Intervals of Silence, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to apparatus adapted to record the durations of sounds or successions of sounds and intervals of silence for the description of moving pictures or the durations of sounds or successions of sounds (in the form of song, speech or otherwise) intended to accompany actions or gestures of characters or incidents depicted in moving pictures and intervals of silence between such sounds or successions of sounds.

The production of a graph representative of durations of sounds or successions of sounds and intervals of silence is a preliminary to the production of a selector-commutator employed for controlling the operation of a phonograph or phonographs to be operatedin conjunction with a cinematographic machine for the production of talking pictures, singing pictures and the like as described in the specification of the co-pending applications Nos. 427,134 and 427,135 filed simultaneously herewith.

Apparatus according to the invention comprises a carrier for a medium to be marked and a marking device, of which one travels past the other at a speed bearing a given relation to the speed of a moving part of the cinematographic machine. Prefthe graph-receiving medium carried by the drum, under the control of an operator who may, for example, manipulate keys the actuation of each of which establishes contact between a corresponding pencil or the like and the graph-receiving medium, the time during which each key is depressed, for example, being represented graphically by a mark produced on the medium by the corresponding pencil and the time during which each key is released being represented'by a blank on the medium, so that if each key be assigned to a given character in the photoplay or the like and be depressed during such time as the character in question is assumed to be vocal, the completed graph will furnish a record of the times when each character was assumed to be vocal and when he or she Was assumed to be silent between speeches or the like, the representations of periods of sounds or successions of sounds being positioned and dimensioned in accurate correspondence with the times when sounds are to be heard in the display of the picture.

I shall now proceed to describe in detail by way of example a construction of apparatus embodying the invention and in this connection refer o the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a plan and Fig. 2 an elevation with the drum removed to show the pencils in elevation. Fig. 3 is an end view. Fig. 1 is a detail view.

'Referring to the drawings, 1 denotes a rotatable drum serving to carry a suitably ruled graph paper 2, said drum being removably secured in a predetermined position to a mandrel on a shaft 3 which in prac tice is connected through reduction gearing with the filnrfeeding spindle of a cinematographic machine. In the construction illustrated an extension of the shaft 8 carries a worm wheel at meshing with a worm 5 on a short shaft 6 carrying also a bevel gear 7 meshing with a bevel gear 8 on one end of a shaft 9 at the opposite end of which is a bevel gear 10 engaged by a bevel gear 11. on a spindle 12 carrying a bevel gear 13 meshing with a bevel gear ll on a shaft 15 operatively connected by any suitable means with the film-feeding spindle of a cinematograph projector (not shown).

Provision is made for disconnecting the drum from the driving gear and for arresting rotation of the drum.

As shown in Fig. 4, the shaft 6 on which the worm 5 is cut or fixed is adapted to be lowered, the lowering of the shaft 6 bringing the worm 5 out of mesh with the worm wheel 4. To lower the shaft 6, the operator depresses the lever 16 attached'to detents 17 on which rests the bearing18 supporting one end of the shaft 6, thereby allowing the shaft 6 to swing around the' axis of the shaft 9 carried by bearing members 19 integral with the main bearing 20 ofthe shaft 6. To bring the worm 5 again into mesh, the free end of the shaft 6 is lifted, whereupon the spring 21 restores the detents 17 to supporting position. Connected to the worm wheel 4 is a ring 22 formed with a peripheral notch 23 engageable by a spring-pressed pin 24 when the drum is in correct position for starting the production of a graph. As the drum may have performed only a partial rotation by the time the film has completely passed through the cinematographicmachine, it is desirable tobe able to bring the drum readilyto the same starting position independently of the cinematographic machine. With the present arrangement, when the worm 5 is out of mesh with the worm wheel 4, and the spring-pressed pin 24 is disengaged from the notch 23, the drum 1 and shaft 3 may be further rotated'by manual operation of a knob 25 on the end of the shaft'3'until the notch 23 is in position to be engaged by the pin 24. There is but one possible angular position of the drum 1 relatively to the shaft 3, the drum being secured in driving position by means of the boss 26 fixed on the driving flange 27 and by the nut 2-8 threaded on a boss 29 of the drum-carrying mandrel 30 and pressing on the washer 31. e

I have not considered it necessary to describe in further detail the construction and arrangement of the speed-reducing gear illustrated, as any known or suitable speed reducing gear may be employed for transmitting rotary motion of the film-feeding spindle to the drum 1 at the required speed reduction.

Arranged in juxtaposition to the drum is a marking device comprising a frame in which is mounted a series of pencils. 32 spaced apartaxially of the drum and each pointing towards the drum, the tip of each pencil being normally held retracted from the drum by a spring 33 interposed between a fixed stop 34 and a collar 35 on a cradle 36 to which the pencil is clamped by means of a thumb screw 37. A cord 38 connected at one end to the cradle 36 is led around guide pulleys 39 and 40 and connected at the opposite end to an armature 41 adapted to be attracted'on the excitation of an electro-magnet 42 whereby the cord is tensioned to urge the pencil point against the paper on the drum, the spring 33 acting on deenergization of the electro-magnet 42 to restore the pencil 32 to initial position clear of the paper.

To avoid harsh pressure en the paper by the pencil, a spring 43 is inserted between 'minals 47, 47, 47 etc, connected to the windings of the respective electrormagnets 42 whence connections 48, 48, 48 etc., are led to a bus-bar 49 from which a return connection 50 is led to the battery 44. l

The leads 45, 45, 45 etc., are each interrupted at the keyboard so that the exciting circuit of each electro-magnet is normally open. Depression of a key effects, however, closure of the circuitof the corresponding electro-magnet. which remains excited so long only as the key is depressed.

It will be appreciated from the foregoing that an operator or operators following the representation of a picture can readily manipulate the keys so that as each character is vocal the point of the pencil assigned to that character will be in contact with the paper, but that when any character is silent between speeches or the like the corresponding pencil will be out of contact with the paper, it being understood that in practice time margins anterior and subsequent to the actual production of sound may be allowed for.

In the embodiment illustrated ten pencils 1 and actuating devices therefor, are illustrated, it being evident, however, that the number of pencils employed will, be determined by circumstances. In given cases a single pencil will sufiice. V

By the term sound is intended to be included all varieties of sounds capable of reproduction by a talking machine, i. e, not only vocal sounds but also naturally or artificially produced phenomena capable of perception by the auditory organs.

I claim V Apparatus for recording the duration of sounds and intervals of silence corresponding to the periods of activity and inactivity of a talking machine to be operated in conjunction with a cinematographic machine, comprising the combination ofja carrying device for the medium to be marked, a marking device, and key means operable by an observer for actuating said marking de vice, one of said devices being operatively connected to the cinematographic machine to travel relatively to the other device at a- In testimony whereof I have signed my speed proportionate to the speed of a movname tothis specification in the presence of ing part of the cinematographic machine, two subscribing witnesses.

and the other device being adapted to be FRANK ERNEST MOSLEY. rendered effective and ineffective at times Witnesses: correlated to the periods of activity and in- ISABEL RoLLo,

activity of the talking machine. FLORENCE H0Us'roN. 

